There are 9 days — NINE DAYS! — until the election. Do you know where your yard signs are? How about your polling place? Have you offered to give rides to some of the folks who work with you — or your neighbors — or friends — or family to go and vote?

For a window into the odd world that is campaign spending for the DCCC and the RNCC, the WaPo has a slice of insight into the folks who are ultimately responsible for money decisions on behalf of both party operations. Very interesting stuff, keeping in mind that it is written by VandeHei and Cillizza, and that both parties are spinning like crazy and trying to psych out the other side by revealing nothing and yet hinting at things that may or may not be true. (H/T to TeddySanFran for the article link.)

Hilarious.

And although I obviously disagree with the decision on lack of spending in the OH-2 (hello, kick Mean Jean's butt, thanks, and give Wulsin a hand!), the sheer magnitude of the balancing tests that both sides have to perform with limited resources being spread out over the whole of the country must be some insane spreadsheet disco.

It is one of the reasons that we decided to try and step up to the plate and fill a little of the void that the DCCC and the DSCC was leaving behind. There are so many progressive candidates that were getting shoved to the sidelines because Rahm's DCCC and Schumer's DSCC were not pushing these candidates as much as we thought they ought to be in districts that we felt could be competitive with a little help. Take a peek at our Blue America candidate list and see how many of those races are highly competitive now — and tell me that real people taking some initiative into their own hands in this nation can't make a difference. (That, and the fact that Howie is a genius!)

The lesson is that we cannot wait for someone else to do the work. We have to all pitch in where we see a need — the hell with waiting for someone else to tell us what to do, because that has not worked int he past and I'd still be sitting here waiting for my call-back if I just sat on my hands and so would you.

And while we're at it, we're still trying to buy some ads in Tony Trupiano's district — so if you have a fiver to spare, we'd sure appreciate a donation to the Blue America PAC via our Blue America page to bring those ads home. The donation has to go to the Blue America PAC, not to Tony, because we cannot mix funds due to election law requirements — so if you can toss a little change in the Blue America PAC kitty , we sure would appreciate it! MODERATOR NOTE: The ad buy has a deadline late today, so if you are planning to contribute, please do it now!

Take a look at the competitive races map that the NYTimes has put together, and you'll see just how tight this match-up is this year in a whole lot of districts — and how crucial each and every spending decision and GOTV operation could be to the overall final numbers.

AdNags has a NYTimes article today discussing the differences between the DNC and GOP respective GOTV apparatus — and the folks on the outside of the party who are trying to make a difference in the calculation, especially on the democratic end of things with GOTV efforts. Labor and MoveOn.org have stepped in to fill the party void — and folks like all of us are trying to step up and help to fill the breach. (AdNags also has a little snarky snippet on the NYTimes political blog that is getting quite the pushback from readers, in case you are interested. Here's a thought — next time, try not being condescending to the thought process of people who actually vote and are fed up. H/T to reader LindyH for the link — amusing read.)

This year's election has a very interesting dynamic. Just take a peek at this article on AlterNet that reader T- highlighted:

Former Bush I and Reagan official Bruce Bartlett lambasted the administration earlier this year with his book "Impostor: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy," which was soon followed by longtime conservative activist Richard Viguerie's "Conservatives Betrayed: How George W. Bush and Other Big Government Republicans Hijacked the Conservative Cause." There are a dozen of them churning out columns and op-eds condemning Bush's profligate spending and pillorying his "compassionate," "Big Government" conservatism. Even former congressman Joe Scarborough — MSNBC's cut-rate version of Bill O'Reilly — got into the act, devoting a segment of his show to the fundamental question, "Is Bush an idiot?" and writing that he'd prefer "an assortment of Bourbon Street hookers running the Southern Baptist Convention to having this lot of Republicans controlling America's checkbook for the next two years."

A lot of this is finger-in-the-wind prognostication because, frankly, everyone loves a winner and at the moment George Bush is screeching loser from every pore. Which bodes well for the election outcome — but ONLY if we turn out our vote in droves.

Which brings us to the fundamental question, nine days and counting from the election: what are you doing to help get out our vote? You want some ideas? We have them. Or try clicking on the MoveOn.org ad in the upper left corner of the blog and make some GOTV calls from home today. Just ask egregious — it's easy and painless and every call could get us one vote closer to a kick ass majority! Or ask any number of other readers who have also pitched in with calls — for individual candidates or for MoveOn — because live contact really does make a difference.

Better yet, head down to the local Democratic party headquarters in your town or to a candidate office near you and offer to canvass or give rides to the polls…whatever it takes. It is going to take every single one of us, running straight through to the finish line to bring in a victory on November 7th. Conventional wisdom is that GOTV operations can make a difference in races that are within one or two points of each other. That's the Missouri Senate race all by itself.

If you have been thinking about writing a letter to the editor in your local paper about a particular candidate, now is the time. Make a call into a local talk radio show. Talk with your co-workers, your family, your friends and your neighbors about the importance of voting — and about who deserves their votes. Do it now.

Hmmm….”yelling” and going hoarse, not sounding like a winner, Chimpy’s sounding like a shrill loser…just like the rest of the losers he hangs out with…Loser Libby, loser Schmidt, loser Weldon, loser Delay, loser Frist……..

Keep yelling and keep telling people what to think, it might work…loser.

Just FYI because there’s probably some good material in the comments. I posted the Ohio voter ID “witnesses needed” in a diary at Daily Kos. First time in what seems like forever that a diary of mine hit the recommended list. It’s about to drop off soon, so I’m sharing the link now to make sure the comments can be found.

Oh and the justice department has finally gotten religion about voting machine accuracy.

“Concerns about Smartmatic are keen on the eve of the Nov. 7 election, given fears that someone with unauthorized access to the electronic system could create electoral chaos. Some critics believe that if the Venezuelan government is involved, Smartmatic could be a ”Trojan horse” designed to advance Chavez’s anti-American agenda.”

That “anti-American” agenda would show itself in the polls by votes supporting those terrorist loving Democrats I assume.

Oh and the justice department has finally gotten religion about voting machine accuracy.

“Concerns about Smartmatic are keen on the eve of the Nov. 7 election, given fears that someone with unauthorized access to the electronic system could create electoral chaos. Some critics believe that if the Venezuelan government is involved, Smartmatic could be a ”Trojan horse” designed to advance Chavez’s anti-American agenda.”

That “anti-American” agenda would show itself in the polls by votes supporting those terrorist loving Democrats I assume.

good morning all from the colorado rockies … finally found a spot with wifi and so I’m grabbing a quick break to wave … and to say that I was struck yesterday by how much the election came up in conversations at this conference yesterday … I’m at a gathering of socially responsible investors – and hope to meet Daniel Adamson of the Blue Fund (FDl advertisers – yay!) today – but there are folks from all over the country and they are all engaged and cheering on progressive candidates too. It’s exciting to get “outside the blogosphere” and find a similar passion for this election! My flights were messed up again so I missed my free time here – I was hoping to get a few hours to go help Fawcett’s people but I’m asking everyone here what district they’re in and lobbying hard for our guys.

What does it take to wipe out a family? Why it “Takes a Village”. No it takes an airplane.

RAMADI: A family of six was killed during fighting in the Iraqi town of Ramadi yesterday as US forces battled to regain control of an area claimed by Al Qaeda-led insurgents. “Six members of one family were killed when US planes bombed their place, a nursery school they were using as a house in 17th of July Street in the centre of the city,” said Dr Kamal Al Hadithi of Ramadi Hospital.

Hmmm….”yelling” and going hoarse, not sounding like a winner, Chimpy’s sounding like a shrill loser…just like the rest of the losers he hangs out with…Loser Libby, loser Schmidt, loser Weldon, loser Delay, loser Frist……..

Keep yelling and keep telling people what to think, it might work…loser.

-GSD

Adolf Hitler did alot of yelling too.Bastards both.

Worst.President.Ever.

By the by, I haven’t heard much discussion outside of Louisville about this race. I think folks have accepted that Northup was a shoo-in. Having said that, our local paper has endorsed her opponent (John Yarmuth – D) and the polls have it close, close, close (Courier says Northup leads 6 – 8%; Survey USA has Yarmuth with a 1% lead).

Oh, and on Bush’s visit to So. Indiana yesterday, wasn’t all hearts and flowers.

A Bush opponent, Carl Rising-Moore of Crawford, Texas, heckled the line of supporters yesterday morning, calling on security officers to arrest the president for war crimes when he arrived and telling those in line that the United States needs to pull out of Iraq.

He got boos from the crowd and eventually officers surrounded him, asking him to leave but not forcing him to.

Inside, a few Bush opponents yelled during the speech, jeering the president and taunting the crowd. “Bring home the troops,” one yelled. “Leave Iraq,” said another.

Mr. Yarmuth, the founder and former columnist for the alternative newspaper LEO, is an informed and articulate candidate. Moreover, he makes the salient point: Washington will not change until the people in Washington change.

I have a “fat cat Republican” who loves sitting on the keyboard. We call her that because she’s a dumb-a-post 16lb tabby/white mix. Her litter mate is our “Democrat” because she’s brilliant, black, and small, and very physically active, unlike her sister, who’s one step above suspended animation.
She IS gorgeous, however, as is her “sissy”, so we’ll keep her.

Oh and the justice department has finally gotten religion about voting machine accuracy.

“Concerns about Smartmatic are keen on the eve of the Nov. 7 election, given fears that someone with unauthorized access to the electronic system could create electoral chaos. Some critics believe that if the Venezuelan government is involved, Smartmatic could be a ”Trojan horse” designed to advance Chavez’s anti-American agenda.”

That “anti-American” agenda would show itself in the polls by votes supporting those terrorist loving Democrats I assume.

Sorry gang — no idea what happened with the multiple postings of this — had to delete three extra versions. So sorry to everyone whose comment got waylaid on this. Weird toobz this morning, I suppose…

Gee, I thought it was pretty effective…

I was working at the local MoveOn office making phone calls, and have been pretty impressed with the active people – expecially in Tony Trupiano’s district. People have been willing to do as much as they can and are really enthusiastic and optimistic.

And yesterday, the line was very long in my polling place at 8:30 in the morning. It was the last Saturday to vote early so that could explain the crowd. But one of the workers said it had been like that last weekend and throughout the week.

If a MoveOn person calls this week and asks for a commitment to make calls, please say yes. We need all the help we can get everywhere.

In the square, Salam Ahmed sat with a friend, Saad Nasser, under the [toppled] statue [of Saddam], looking out at the scene.

“They died under Saddam, and they’re dying now,” Salam said.

Unshaven, wearing a baseball cap, Saad looked at the ground. He was grim, angry and dejected.

“No one can stop it but God,” he said. “Only God has the power.”

If it’s in your hearts to feel compassion for the Iraqi mothers, Iraqi seniors, or young Iraqi men like Salam and Saad whose future we have wrecked, whom we have trapped in a living hell, read this article carefully and keep it in your hearts as a simmering flame between now and November 7.

don’t even think that! we got work to do, and over-confident we must not be! if the margins are still that big on November 8th we can start whoopin’. meanwhile let’s see how many close races we can push over into the Blue! get even more Democrats elected! we need to use those 9 Days like they were gold, because they are!

I am from the MI-8, and people in NYC knew we had a viable candidate in our district before I did. I keep informed. I read FDL, HuffPo, etc. I know all about the Lamont race. But in my own backyard I know nothing, because in the last cycle, the Democrats ran clowns. Well actually a wish they did, because at least clowns draw attention to themselves.

So I was pleasantly surprised to see a real Candidate. Jim Marcinkowski decided to take on the Deputy Whip Rogers. But the DCCC failed to support Jim early, and only now do Dems in the area realize their vote might count this year (we have optical scan). Jim is ex-CIA and ex-Republican. Valerie Plame was in his CIA class, which is why he switched sides. The race is becoming competitive, and I would encourage donations to his campaign.

Pectopah at 27 — donations can be made to Jim via ActBlue. We ran out of time to add him to our Blue America page (as Howie says, we are starting waaaaaay earlier for the 2008 cycle with this…), but Jim is a GREAT guy. Larry Johnson thinks the world of him — and he has been a great candidate in his district this year.

Call me a cynic – again – but Rove/Cheney are evil and I just don’t believe they are willing to relinquish power and face the consequences of what they’ve been doing for the past six years by letting this election take place.
If I were writing this story, I’d have them arranging something horrendous to ‘happen’ – think Reichstag fire – so they could declare martial law and ‘postpone’ the election.
Praying that I’m wrong…

I wonder what the Democrat/progressive plan is for November 8 when the Diebold/ESS machines have been found to have done their dirty work and many races have become “too close to call”, with slight leanings to the GOP.
Rove’s November non-surprise.

President Bush made a big show this week of reevaluating his Iraq policy. It made a difference—but only with his base and only at the margins. The new NEWSWEEK poll finds likely voters still favoring the Democrats.

I wonder what the Democrat/progressive plan is for November 8 when the Diebold/ESS machines have been found to have done their dirty work and many races have become “too close to call”, with slight leanings to the GOP.
Rove’s November non-surprise.

I just don’t believe they have anything in place that can affect 20 races. I also have an irrational faith in exit polling.
As I say, if the election takes place…

tpres200 at 30 — you are wrong. You think any of us would just sit back and take it? Good lord, we are ALL responsible for how things happen in this country of ours — and not one person who reads here would have something like that happen and not speak out. You think the NRA crazies are going to sit back and let that happen as well? Not a chance. If we could all back off the conspiracy theory crap and realize that all it does is suppress the vote on our side with defeatist rhetoric and endless what if scenario spinning…and just spend half that energy getting out our vote at a level that would surpass anything that could be cheated around the margins? Jeebus, think where we could be.

In the square, Salam Ahmed sat with a friend, Saad Nasser, under the [toppled] statue [of Saddam], looking out at the scene.

“They died under Saddam, and they’re dying now,” Salam said.

Unshaven, wearing a baseball cap, Saad looked at the ground. He was grim, angry and dejected.

“No one can stop it but God,” he said. “Only God has the power.”

If it’s in your hearts to feel compassion for the Iraqi mothers, Iraqi seniors, or young Iraqi men like Salam and Saad whose future we have wrecked, whom we have trapped in a living hell, read this article carefully and keep it in your hearts as a simmering flame between now and November 7.

One of my students is a Kurd. He was offered a job after graduation that pays $200,000 a year, but it’s in Baghdad, so he turned it down. He has lost several relatives in this mess, and he told me that all Iraqis in the US are still half in Iraq, and they wait by the phone everyday, expecting to hear that someone in their family has been killed.

tpres200 at 30 — you are wrong. You think any of us would just sit back and take it? Good lord, we are ALL responsible for how things happen in this country of ours — and not one person who reads here would have something like that happen and not speak out. You think the NRA crazies are going to sit back and let that happen as well? Not a chance. If we could all back off the conspiracy theory crap and realize that all it does is suppress the vote on our side with defeatist rhetoric and endless what if scenario spinning…and just spend half that energy getting out our vote at a level that would surpass anything that could be cheated around the margins? Jeebus, think where we could be.

tpres at 40 — thanks much — it’s normal and perfectly okay to have doubts. But it is nine days out from the election and we do not have the luxury of navel gazing at this point. Everything — and I mean EVERYTHING — depends on turning out the vote. Just read the NYTimes article that I linked upstairs and see what I mean. By my count, there are another 8 or 9 races within the margin of error that no one ever thought would be competitive even a month ago, but that are in play now. We can kick some serious ass — but only if we get our voters to the polls. And the only way we do that is if we are ALL pushing them there. In droves. Every freaking day between now and the election.

Please, I’m begging everyone, if you aren’t doing GOTV work in your district — or via MoveOn or someone else if you live in a very red district — please get involved somehow. Your voice, your work, your knock on someone’s door could make the difference. You do not want to be sitting at home and find out that the other guy won by five votes and think to yourself “I should have done more.”

AZ…. the so called red state has 3 house races and 1 senate race in play, yep they are up for grabs with even polling!

The Arizona Republic(ian) Newspaper recommended Harry Mitchell over JD Hayworth(R-blowheart) calling him a bully in print!!!

NRCC have abandoned AZ CD-08 fight with Gifford up 20 points. The latest Renzi scandal has moved Ellen Simons even in the polls.

Kyl has had to campaign for a office he slid into the office and never had a viable candidate to run against.

The negative ads are really nasty, Ellen Simons did legal work for the ACLU, now being liked with the NAMBA…. my daughter had an insightful comment about the political ads, the Repug ads are black and white, flashing text and mean. The Democratic ads are in color, about issues, families and you want to see them. Now she knows why I keep muting the Repug ads!

tpres200 at 30 — you are wrong. You think any of us would just sit back and take it? Good lord, we are ALL responsible for how things happen in this country of ours — and not one person who reads here would have something like that happen and not speak out. You think the NRA crazies are going to sit back and let that happen as well? Not a chance. If we could all back off the conspiracy theory crap and realize that all it does is suppress the vote on our side with defeatist rhetoric and endless what if scenario spinning…and just spend half that energy getting out our vote at a level that would surpass anything that could be cheated around the margins? Jeebus, think where we could be.

Stop with the Eeyore shit and GET. OUT. THE. VOTE.

OK. Sending another $50 to ActBlue as penance.

While I don’t speak for Christy (heaven forbid! *g*), I hope you didn’t take umbrage at her rejoinder. I’m sure that she was trying to be motivating.

And it worked!

Gee willikers, there I was having the nicest dream about this unusual redhead…and suddenly, Whamo!

My head hit the keyboard, woke me up and found this somehow typed without me even knowing about it. *g*

We believe [Sestak] can use his military background to bring a fresh perspective to foreign policy and national security. We urge him to follow Weldon’s lead and become a stickler for delivering jobs and money to the district.

In a close race between two solid candidates, our vote goes to the challenger.

The Daily Times endorses Democrat Joe Sestak for the 7th District seat in the U.S. Congress.

Mad Dogs et al. at 46 — you guys know me well enough by now to know that I don’t intend for it to sound mean, right? That was definitely intended as more of a rah rah tone, in case anyone was wondering.

And Mad Dogs, you are cracking me up today…I’ve still got that sleep-in tousled hair look, and sweatpants and t-shirt on, so I’m not feeling altogether hot today. LOL (Although I’d probably get a little argument from Mr. ReddHedd on that one if I asked.)

Call me a cynic – again – but Rove/Cheney are evil and I just don’t believe they are willing to relinquish power and face the consequences of what they’ve been doing for the past six years by letting this election take place.
If I were writing this story, I’d have them arranging something horrendous to ‘happen’ – think Reichstag fire – so they could declare martial law and ‘postpone’ the election.
Praying that I’m wrong…

I was predicting an October surprise here back in September. Then the GOP seemed totally disoriented in the wake of the Foley unraveling and unable to keep control of any aspect of the political narrative.

I still wouldn’t put it past the Bushista regime to manufacture a missile-firing incident in th Straits of Hormuz this next week, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the military will refuse to play the game.

But regarding the voting machines and GOP voter intimidation – DON’T LET THEM SCARE YOU AWAY FROM WORKING FOR YOUR CANDIDATE OR VOTING!

The most recent election in the USA was our Borough election in the Mat-Su Borough in Alaska, the first week of October. In one of the REDDEST parts of America, we had a progressive SWEEP, with all our candidates doing between 5% and 6% better than they themselves predicted. And we use the Diebold Accu-Vote optical scan system. Tried and true techniques of heavy canvassing, signs and sign-waving worked. But the far right loony precincts had low, low turnouts…..

Oh, and also gang — this week will be the last week for early voting in most districts. Try and get folks to take advantage of that if it’s possible where you live. Locking in the votes early for our side is a very, very good thing!

Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, I am not asking you guys to do anything that I’m not already doing myself. I’ve been making GOTV calls in my district, I’ve got yard signs…just wanted you guys to know that.

And check out the video starting at 23:00 and see the emphasis on the word “war”. I think our Social Security Trust fund is being spent in Iraq.

I would appreciate your comments.

For a long time I felt that our Social Security money was being spent in Iraq. The neocons hate the notion of Social Security so much that I am sure they wouldn’t hesitate to take what is not theirs. Again.

BTW…..great TV ad placement for Ned. Just saw Wes Clark’s “mistake” ad here in NYC on the Fox broadcast of the Giants-Bucs game. It’s the only CT Senate race ad I’ve seen this cycle that’s been placed during an athletic event.

Given the interest in the Giants and the stadium’s perpetual sellout…smart move. As an added bonus, it’s way too windy to enjoy being outside today. Bet the viewer ratings are higher than normal.

OK something real strange just happened on my PC. I have dial up and I have WUMB (Boston folk NPR station) on my real player and all of a sudden I get a radio ad for Bob Corker.
am clueless as to where this cam from. I clicked file and went back to wumb but…..

Unlike many here at DailyKos, I love the Clintons, especially Bill. Although I see their flaws, I think for the most part they have been a force for good. However, if they are not disturbed by Lieberman taking these funds from the patron saint of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy and get off their asses and campaign for Ned, they have no one but themselves to blame if they continue to get the river of slimey sludge they have had thrown at them.

Does Bill like the NYT sniffing through his underwear drawer all the time? Because if he lets this slide, I think he just might.

BTW…..great TV ad placement for Ned. Just saw Wes Clark’s “mistake” ad here in NYC on the Fox broadcast of the Giants-Bucs game. It’s the only CT Senate race ad I’ve seen this cycle that’s been placed during an athletic event.

Given the interest in the Giants and the stadium’s perpetual sellout…smart move. As an added bonus, it’s way too windy to enjoy being outside today. Bet the viewer ratings are higher than normal.

– I’M RETIRED. — I’M STRUGGLING WITH EMPHYSEMA, SO MY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS GREATLY REDUCED. [ I STOPPED SMOKING 25 YEARS AGO, YES ] OTHER THAN THIS MALADY I’M IN GOOD SHAPE, FORMER USMC DRILL INSTRUCTOR — AND I BEGIN MY DAY COMING INTO THE FDL LIVING ROOM HERE AND WATCHING YOU ALL CHEW THEROTTENREPUBLICANS TO RAGS AND — I SMILE. I KNOW A GOOD FIGHT WHEN I SEE ONE, AND THAT IS WHATS GOING ON. I KNOW I’D WANT TO BE BEHIND THE REDD HEAD IN A BAR FIGHT. WE CAN KICK THEIR SORRY ASSES TIL THEIR NOSES BLEED. IT WILL BE WTF AND THE SMACKDOWN MATCHES. WE ALREADY OWN THE RING ITS BEING HELD IN. — AND THE SEATS ARE FULL — A SOLD OUT CROWD. SEMPER FIDELIS //

Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, I am not asking you guys to do anything that I’m not already doing myself. I’ve been making GOTV calls in my district, I’ve got yard signs…just wanted you guys to know that.

The “vast right wing conspiracy” will never give up. They will be with us no matter what happens on Nov. 7 or in 2008. And beyond. They are insidious. Most of us realize this. And some of us (Demos) have seemingly forgotten this. Speaking for this voter only, I will not forget. And I will not forget those who have forgotten.

Had a chat with a friend working on a campaign for a local circuit court judge; literally JUST found out in that discussion why this judge’s campaign flagged, started so late, letting a Repug former house rep make too much traction. She’s a woman, is a strong Dem but uncomfortable with the politicking. Her opponent, on the other hand, is extremely political, a massive right-wing tool.

Jeepers. And I’m just finding this out today, that she self-funded her campaign because she didn’t know what else to do.

Holy crap, but do we have work to do this week.

I strongly advise every one of you to check the status of local races down stream from your federal government; find out if there is a way to help individual candidates build synergy off each other, make use of sharing resources via a third organization. In our case, our Dem organization will help this judge along with other candidates at the same time, dropping their lit along with a voter guide that recommends them as part of a straight ticket.

As Christy said, we have to start WAAAAAYYY earlier — this judge and all the other downstream candidates must plan to start fundraising on January 1, 2007, to make a strong run in 2008.

If there’s a knock at the door, it could be me dropping the voter guide and literature. Be nice!

I am from the MI-8, and people in NYC knew we had a viable candidate in our district before I did. I keep informed. I read FDL, HuffPo, etc. I know all about the Lamont race. But in my own backyard I know nothing, because in the last cycle, the Democrats ran clowns. Well actually a wish they did, because at least clowns draw attention to themselves.

So I was pleasantly surprised to see a real Candidate. Jim Marcinkowski decided to take on the Deputy Whip Rogers. But the DCCC failed to support Jim early, and only now do Dems in the area realize their vote might count this year (we have optical scan). Jim is ex-CIA and ex-Republican. Valerie Plame was in his CIA class, which is why he switched sides. The race is becoming competitive, and I would encourage donations to his campaign.

Pehtopah, thanks for the info on your “guy” Marcinski. I just donated $200.00 on Act Blue.

Also, everyone, please consider donating to Karen Carter, in LA-2. She’s challenging William Jefferson (of freezer fame) to the seat, and she’s, according to my son, a staffer at the DNC, “the real thing”. Young, smart, articulate, and honest.

LA has a strange electoral system. Their “primary” is Nov 7th, and their “run-off” is sometime in early Dec. Carter has challenged Jefferson and is doing quite well, and, if she wins, will bring honesty back to government.

Taking a break from work to check in. don’t remember who recommended it, but my aunt, uncle, cousins and I all used the Christmas in October idea and had we loved it. We all donated to each other’s candidates last week and said we’d simply share a bottle of wine and enjoy the sounds of subpoenas being readied at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Thanks to whichever FDler suggested it.
We are already getting our Christmas lists ready for October 2008!

Well,I did my part today by converting a conservative,though she really didn’t need my help,just a nudge,lol. In WalMart of all places. I rarely shop at WalHell,but my hubby is a diabetic and they have snacks and things there with no sugar or sugar alcohols that I can’t find anywhere else.

Sooo,I’m in line putting my stuff up on the conveyor belt at the register and chatting up the cashier and she mentioned she was NOT voting for”that idiot Sonny Purdue”for governor this time because her child’s school had suffered due to cuts in special education funds(my son is in special ed too,that’s what got us talking.I bought a newspaper with Sonny’s face on page 1,and she just went off on him the second she saw it,lol). I smiled and nodded,and then she said,”you know,I’ve always voted straight GOP,my whole life.Never again!These people are mean,criminal,and lie,lie,lie”.But,she didn’t know anything about the Dem running against our GOP rep,Tom Price. So,I told her what I knew about Steve Sinton(who isn’t progressive really,but he doesn’t like urban sprawl,is for upping the minimum wage,pro-choice,etc)and she said she’d visit his website when she gets home and vote for him. I also wrote down some websites for her to visit,including this one.

Oh,and her WalMart job is a second job. Her hubby will be out of work soon,the WalHell job is so she can buy her kids Christmas gifts. He works at the Ford plant that’s closing in Atlanta. So that’s one working class family that’s not doing that great in Bush’s wonderful economy.

It ain’t much,but it’s something. I do my outreach wherever I find an opening.

One other positive thing to note is that while Schlessinger (sp) took votes from Joe after the debate, he is just now getting up on the air with ads. He may take more this week than in the while time between the primary and now.

I’m going to do some yard signing later so when people are doing their morning commute tomorrow AM some new yard signs will have appeared overnight. I’ve made calls this week and have lined up people for local GOTV efforts for election day. I’ll make some more calls this week.

Had a chat with a friend working on a campaign for a local circuit court judge; literally JUST found out in that discussion why this judge’s campaign flagged, started so late, letting a Repug former house rep make too much traction. She’s a woman, is a strong Dem but uncomfortable with the politicking. Her opponent, on the other hand, is extremely political, a massive right-wing tool.

Jeepers. And I’m just finding this out today, that she self-funded her campaign because she didn’t know what else to do.

Holy crap, but do we have work to do this week.

I strongly advise every one of you to check the status of local races down stream from your federal government; find out if there is a way to help individual candidates build synergy off each other, make use of sharing resources via a third organization. In our case, our Dem organization will help this judge along with other candidates at the same time, dropping their lit along with a voter guide that recommends them as part of a straight ticket.

As Christy said, we have to start WAAAAAYYY earlier — this judge and all the other downstream candidates must plan to start fundraising on January 1, 2007, to make a strong run in 2008.

If there’s a knock at the door, it could be me dropping the voter guide and literature. Be nice!

Two years ago in a state that will remain nameless ; ) an attorney running as a Republican won a District Court Judge slot. His BFF and unofficial campaign manager opened up a driving school, the only one in the area. Do you see where I’m going with this? ; ) Yep, in this judges court if you appear before him for a traffic violation you get sent to driving school even if you are just requesting a CONTINUANCE! %$#$%#. If he’s not in jail by then he’s going down in 2008 when he comes up for election again.

Time to get off the fence, Clintons. When a player from your own side (who led the charge against you) accepts help from those who were aligned against you from the inception of your presidency…As Auric Goldfinger said:

“Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it’s enemy action.”

It is good news that Lamont has picked up to eight points behind Lieberman. Meanwhile, in Alaska, Diane Benson has closed from 30 points down to 9 points down in four weeks. Not only that, but she’s been outspent by Don Young 20 or more to one!

Today’s Anchorage Daily News has two articles which compare the ways the Benson campaign and Young campaign are financed. Young is getting huge outside-of-state contributions from Big Oil, Wal-Mart and the usual GOP suspects. And Benson is slowly raising grassroots money, from small donors like YOU, doing classic GOTV efforts with little help from the state Dem machine and NO help whatsoever from the National Dem machine!

But readers here can be gratified that fdl stalwart egregious’s ActBlue page http://www.actblue.com/page/egregious has raised 6% of Benson’s campaign funds – right here, folks! How many other candidates can fdl claim to have raised 6% of the funds for? THANKS!!!

Here’s a link to the articles, which may or may not require registration, depending on the ADN site’s mood today:

Blue America candidate Ben Cardin is leading 54-43 in the MD-SEN race, according to a a new WaPo poll. This poll is something of an anomoly. Most show the race neck-and-neck. Pollster’s chart of the Maryland race shows Cardin with about a 6 point lead, with his opponent Michael Steele slowly gaining ground.

I’d love to start a push poll that just asks the question “Would you vote for Michael Steele if you knew that he was calling voters pretending to do a poll but actually smearing his opponent? Do you like voting for sneaky, cowardly politicians?”

I also pointed out Lindsay Beyerstein’s article here about Mel Sembler fundraising for Joe Lieberman in the comments. Lieberman is received a $2000 donation from Scaife, according to this FEC filing. It’s all of a piece – that piece being Joe’s complete amorality about where he gets campaign money.

David Roth rode a Monster Truck last night, getting out the vote in Indio. Team Roth was there in all our Hell Yeah liberal exuberance.
JC and Zach got muddy, and tried to share to joy of mud with Caitlin. I intervened to a degree, so only her sandaled feet got slimed.

Roth’s back on the road in the Roth-mobile, talking to voters from one end of the 45th to the other. Here’s how to get his ad on TV to counter Bono’s three (nauseatingly hypocritical) rotating ads.

We were still talking about the Virtual USO Tour last night. Thanks a million, TREx!

Cozumel — yeah, that’s what scares the hell out of me with the right-wing tool running against the seated judge. She’s effective; I’ve yet to run into an attorney that doesn’t think she’s intelligent, fair-minded, no matter the politics of the attorney in question. But the winger running against her clearly does not have a judicial temperament, and he’s got a crapload of Repug money behind him. What this guy’s win might yield is scary, probably wouldn’t stop with something like traffic school beneficiaries. I worry he’s working towards state supreme court, needs to be nipped in the bud NOW.

I’m happy with that – factor in the margin of error, variables that don’t factor into the poll, i.e. the Wesley Clark ad, the N Y Times take down of Joe/endorsement of Ned, the many colleges in CT (most college kids use cell phones), etc.

I think there will be more movement in the next week.

Bill, Barak, Russ, John Edwards – could all make a difference in this race.

I’d be interested in how folks see this? I think Vietnam was, in many ways, an attempt by Kennedy and the dems to not look “soft” in the wake of the McCarthy assualt. This article suggests a repeat:

‘Antiwar’ and Other Fighting Words
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK

WASHINGTON

DEMOCRATS have spent three decades trying to exorcise the ghost of Senator George S. McGovern, whose losing 1972 presidential campaign calling for a withdrawal from Vietnam crystallized his party’s image as soft on national defense.

But surveying the midterm elections last week, Mr. McGovern, 84, said he sees an opportunity for an antiwar campaign in the 2008 presidential race.

“I would love to be running again if I were 25 years younger,” he said in an interview from his Montana home. “I think I would win.”

On the eve of the midterms, dismay over the Iraq war has propelled the Democrats to a political status they have not enjoyed since before Mr. McGovern: for the first time in decades, polls show that the public trusts Democrats as much as Republicans to handle foreign affairs.

But as they look ahead, Democrats are torn between two visions of their history. Some potential candidates in the 2008 Democratic primary and many liberal activists argue that the Republican responsibility for the Iraq war has, in effect, freed the Democrats from Mr. McGovern’s legacy. They say the 2006 elections will provide a mandate for a new antiwar argument: that troops can be pulled from Iraq in order to shore up American security elsewhere in the world.

Other strategists and political scientists argue that the Iraq war has given the Democrats a different opportunity to lay to rest their McGovernite image, in part by rejecting calls for a quick withdrawal in Iraq.

“All voters are doing is giving Democrats a chance, and we better not blow it,” said Gary Hart, the former senator and presidential candidate.

A younger McGovern could probably win the Democratic primary, Mr. Hart said, but he would still lose the general election. “Just running on a platform of ‘get us out of Iraq’ is not going to solve the Democrats’ problem on the issue of national security,” he said.

After Vietnam, there was a brief time when both parties seemed to compete to be seen as the party of restraint: the moment in the 1976 presidential race when Senator Bob Dole, the Republican nominee for vice president, charged that the “Democrat wars” of the 20th century had killed or wounded “1.6 million Americans, enough to fill the city of Detroit.”

But the Iranian hostage crisis three years later put an end to that short peace fad. And ever since President Ronald Reagan’s campaign for a military buildup, Democrats have suffered from a reputation as the party that was less sure to keep America safe. Their only presidential victories were in the years of relative peace between the end of the cold war and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.

During the midterm campaigns, Democrats have risen in the polls merely by attacking President Bush’s conduct of the war. They have not spelled out or agreed on a clear alternative of their own.

That luxury, however, is coming to an end. On Nov. 8, the day after the election, attention will shift toward the 2008 presidential race. How to handle Iraq could be the defining issue of the Democratic primary, and criticizing President Bush may not count for much in the general election since the Republican nominee may also be a vocal critic of his administration’s handling of the war.

Pleasing the party’s “bring ’em home” base while burnishing its security credentials may not be easy. A USA Today poll released Friday showed that more than 80 percent of the public expects Democrats to set a timetable for a withdrawal from Iraq if they take control of Congress. But so far none of Democratic Congressional leaders has called for a fixed deadline.

And although all the potential primary candidates — and President Bush for that matter — say they want the troops home as soon as possible, on the question of a timetable, their views could hardly be more disparate.

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, the most prominent candidate, has rejected any timetable for withdrawal. Senator John Kerry, the 2004 nominee, and Senator Russell Feingold of Wisconsin have already called for a fixed deadline.

Many Democrats, Mr. Feingold argued, have made a “serious mistake” by getting caught up in the party’s Vietnam history. Fearing Mr. McGovern’s fate, they are stuck in what he called “the Iraq trap.”

“They think if somebody calls for a timetable to get out of Iraq they will be labeled as ‘cut and run,’ ” Mr. Feingold said. Democratic gains in the 2006 elections, he said, will show that the public accepts the broader argument for a pullout from Iraq in order to fight terrorism more effectively elsewhere in the world.

Kevin Mattson, a liberal historian at Ohio University, argued that the comparisons to the McGovern campaign were misleading and “goofy.”

For one thing, unlike critics of the Iraq war, neither Mr. McGovern nor any other prominent Democrat opposed the Vietnam War because it was an impediment to the fight against Communism — an argument that would have been hard to make at that advanced stage of the cold war. Advisers to Vice President Hubert Humphrey urged him to make such a case in 1968 but he refused, Mr. Mattson said.

Others, however, argued that letting their victories this year eclipse the McGovern experience may be the biggest risk that Democrats face in 2008. “My concern is that some Democrats will learn the wrong lessons from our victory,” Senator Joe Biden of Delaware said.

Noting the number of conservative Democratic challengers this fall, he said that voters are seeking “a bipartisan consensus” about how to leave more than chaos and instability in Iraq. “A pullout is not a plan,” Mr. Biden said, “it is a reaction.” What sealed the Democrats’ image after Vietnam, historians say, was not just Mr. McGovern’s campaign but also their reaction as public opinion turned on the war. After 1968, Democrats in Congress began pressing to curtail the war or cut off its financing. And their efforts reached a peak after the post-Watergate midterm election of 1974, when many Democrats interpreted their landslide gains as a mandate to cut back on national defense.

No one is making similar proposals today. But James M. Lindsay, a director of the Robert S. Strauss for International Security and Law at the University of Texas in Austin and a former national security official in the Clinton administration, said big wins in 2006 may well embolden antiwar Democrats in 2008, while pulling “centrists” like Mrs. Clinton closer to withdrawal.

“But there are going to be a lot of Democratic strategists whispering in their ears that ‘you don’t want to go there’ because it is bad politics, and it is bad policy to boot,” he said. “The problem is you also have to win the general election. You don’t need to appeal to people who have made up their mind and had a bumper sticker on the back of their car for the last four years.”

Mr. McGovern, for his part, said the debate reminded him of the way Republicans used to accuse Democrats of being weak on Communism, even though containment was a Democratic idea. “I sure hope we are not going to have 50 years of being weak on terrorism in the eyes of Republicans,” he said.

Let me pour on a heap of optmism in here, folks. There are somethings about polls that I’ve never liked. I thnk that they have a lot of trouble reaching poor, disabled and senior citizens, many of whom don’t have telephones. They also can’t reach the many people who only have cell phones.

I may be talking out of my hat here, and I didn’t research it today, but I seem to remember that Lamont was around 5 points out going into the primary and came in 3 points up.

I’m sorry, but the way I read it, any support out there for Lieberman is very soft and half hearted. But all of blogdom is absolutely right on the essential question. It’s the ground game, but the ground game is about more than stuffing bodies into the booth. Perhaps there is something more that can put us solidly over the top, in CT and across the nation.

Let this particular GOTV effort be a joyous reflection of the community we’ve become since Howard Dean asked “What I wanna know…!”

When the other side does its GOTV they have nothing positive to motivate them. Every vote is an against. Against investigations, against oversight, against, well let’s face it, SUNLIGHT.

So let our voter turnout look like the “John Doe Clubs” from that movie Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwick. Let it look and feel like genuine outreach. Let it look like this is something that won’t go away after the ballots are cast.

I remember the day at The New School in NYC, whenDean announced the formation of Democracy For America. As I looked around the packed auditorium, my only thought was that Dean lost but we’re still here, and we’re not going away until we take our country back.

This is OUR moment. The first of many to come as we reverse the course of the nation. Let our GOTV look like we’re all in this together and we’re going to make it right again.

Dolores Brewer, the ReTHUGlican, is running against Jacques Roi, a Democrat, in the runoff for Mayor of Alexandria, Louisiana. Does anyone have email addresses for MSNBC? I should also write NOW. What other organizations should I write? She compares her opponent to her rapist.

The results will be the proof of the pudding. If the netroots / BlueAmerica candidates pull off surprise wins, then they’ll remember it. If Rahm’s ‘one million dollars to beat Chris Shays’ strategy doesn’t work, then it will be remembered.

Politics is a strange science, because experiments can’t be repeated. And this is an experimental approach.

There will be surprises. There will be candidates who never expected to hand in notice on their jobs, who’ll need to start looking for somewhere to stay in DC. And surprises aren’t necessarily proof of success, but if there are a lot of them…

I’m happy with that – factor in the margin of error, variables that don’t factor into the poll, i.e. the Wesley Clark ad, the N Y Times take down of Joe/endorsement of Ned, the many colleges in CT (most college kids use cell phones), etc.

I think there will be more movement in the next week.

Bill, Barak, Russ, John Edwards – could all make a difference in this race.

The good news about that poll is that Schlesinger is eating into Lieberman’s lead. The bad news is that Lamont isn’t. Hopefully, the diary author (mhinds?) is right about intangibles, and Lamont could get a boost from the NYT and the third debate (I’m not sure how much that would have affected this poll).

My bet is this: if the Clintons can see a way to claim credit for the Lamont win, one or both of them will go to Connecticut this week or the last weekend. If the polls — and their parsing of them — show no NED gain, they’ll stay out.

My bet is this: if the Clintons can see a way to claim credit for the Lamont win, one or both of them will go to Connecticut this week or the last weekend. If the polls — and their parsing of them — show no NED gain, they’ll stay out.

They are busy celebrating their birthdays right now.
I think it’s crucial that Schlessinger said he is finally getting ads on the air this week. That will take votes from joe.

Let me pour on a heap of optmism in here, folks. There are somethings about polls that I’ve never liked. I thnk that they have a lot of trouble reaching poor, disabled and senior citizens, many of whom don’t have telephones. They also can’t reach the many people who only have cell phones.

Another is that they don’t count the people who have caller ID and won’t answer when pollsters call. I don’t have any idea how that skews the numbers, though.

I may be talking out of my hat here, and I didn’t research it today, but I seem to remember that Lamont was around 5 points out going into the primary and came in 3 points up.

A little bit. After the primary, the split was roughly 45-43-6, and remained that way for about a month. Lieberman then opened up the lead he appears to have now. Of course, this is trying to composite a bunch of different polls, but the trends are the thing, and the trends were flat through September, and then Liebarman opened his lead in October. If you have Flash capability, you can check the graph at pollster:

I’m sorry, but the way I read it, any support out there for Lieberman is very soft and half hearted. But all of blogdom is absolutely right on the essential question. It’s the ground game, but the ground game is about more than stuffing bodies into the booth. Perhaps there is something more that can put us solidly over the top, in CT and across the nation.

Let this particular GOTV effort be a joyous reflection of the community we’ve become since Howard Dean asked “What I wanna know…!”

When the other side does its GOTV they have nothing positive to motivate them. Every vote is an against. Against investigations, against oversight, against, well let’s face it, SUNLIGHT.

Against gays. Against an enemy that barely exists, and can’t hope to defeat us without our help.

So let our voter turnout look like the “John Doe Clubs” from that movie Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwick. Let it look and feel like genuine outreach. Let it look like this is something that won’t go away after the ballots are cast.

I remember the day at The New School in NYC, whenDean announced the formation of Democracy For America. As I looked around the packed auditorium, my only thought was that Dean lost but we’re still here, and we’re not going away until we take our country back.

This is OUR moment. The first of many to come as we reverse the course of the nation. Let our GOTV look like we’re all in this together and we’re going to make it right again.

When we have an election here I rarely put up a yard sign. I vote NDP and putting up a sign will mean the Liberal and PC canvassers will pass me by. By not putting up a sign they will not write me off and may call on me. That is what I want, I have them in, ask if they want coffee, sit down with them and engage them in a political discussion of the issues raised in the election.
This will generally take at least 40 mins to an hour. When they leave they most likely have not changed my mind and since I keep up with current issues I may have caused them to give some extra thought to these same issues (dare I say it..changed their mind).
As well that is 40-60 mins wasted for them, time that they could have used to convince less well informed voters of the veracity of their claims.
ttul
Bal

It begins as a nation where we seek to see that all have shelter every evening and morning. This means more should be invested in affordable housing. It would be great to take the example of the Era of the Great Depression and Habitat for Humanity today and provide housing for those who are unable to purchase traditionally. For those who do prefer the streets, and I don’t believe its the best option, we should provide Safe Zones in all our communities. Places where one can bathe, cook one’s food, and sleep in relative comfort and safety.

The nation I seek and believe we can attain is one where there is an honest day’s work paid. We need to take away from the issue of always seeking the profit. Our workers who make this nation work need an incentive. That begins with businesses that honor their commitment to pensions as well as allowing the workers who built the company to share in the profits of the company. It also means that superstars in entertainment, mega athletes, and yes even Members of Congress should not be able to make large amounts of money while veterans who fought for this country are homeless, teachers who teach our children are underpaid, and overworked, and when the farmers who grow the food that feeds this nation do not have to rely on subsidies to be able to make ends meet from harvest to harvest.

I see a nation where two people who wish to commit themselves may do so at the altar of their choice, before the God they worship, and their family and friends. Marriage is about love, commitment, and an everlasting friendship. Marriage is not an institution to be granted to some and denied to others.

I see a nation where our best day is just over the horizon. We need to pick up, push forward, give it all we can, and keep striving for the better day. We can once more be the shining city on the hall. It begins by focusing on true values and seeing the worth in everyone, not just someone.

I am from the MI-8, and people in NYC knew we had a viable candidate in our district before I did. I keep informed. I read FDL, HuffPo, etc. I know all about the Lamont race. But in my own backyard I know nothing, because in the last cycle, the Democrats ran clowns. Well actually a wish they did, because at least clowns draw attention to themselves.

So I was pleasantly surprised to see a real Candidate. Jim Marcinkowski decided to take on the Deputy Whip Rogers. But the DCCC failed to support Jim early, and only now do Dems in the area realize their vote might count this year (we have optical scan). Jim is ex-CIA and ex-Republican. Valerie Plame was in his CIA class, which is why he switched sides. The race is becoming competitive, and I would encourage donations to his campaign.

Pehtopah, thanks for the info on your “guy” Marcinski. I just donated $200.00 on Act Blue.

Also, everyone, please consider donating to Karen Carter, in LA-2. She’s challenging William Jefferson (of freezer fame) to the seat, and she’s, according to my son, a staffer at the DNC, “the real thing”. Young, smart, articulate, and honest.

LA has a strange electoral system. Their “primary” is Nov 7th, and their “run-off” is sometime in early Dec. Carter has challenged Jefferson and is doing quite well, and, if she wins, will bring honesty back to government.

Thank you for supporting us in red districts. At a minimum it will force the incumbent to spend his money in his backyard, rather than sending it elsewhere, but I am hopefully it does more than that.